October 31, 2026
MADISON, S.D. — Dakota State (S.D.) held off Montana State-Northern squad in a thrilling five-set Frontier Conference women's volleyball match Saturday evening at the DSU Fieldhouse. The Trojans earned a 3-2 victory by set scores of 25-17, 22-25, 25-15, 22-25 and 15-13 to close out their home schedule on Senior Night.
Dakota State improved to 17-9 overall and 14-6 in Frontier Conference play, earning their eighth win in the last nine matches. The Trojans finished their home schedule with an impressive 10-2 record, the most home victories at DSU Fieldhouse during
Amy Veenhof's coaching era.
MSU-Northern fell to 10-16 overall and 6-14 in league action. Both teams split their two meetings this season, with each team winning on their home court in five sets.
Prior to the match, the Trojan volleyball team honored their four seniors –
Keira Murdock,
Macey Wathen,
Reagan VanRooyan, and
Kate VanRooyan.
How it happened
Dakota State established an early advantage in the opening set, jumping ahead 8-3 and extending its lead to 12-5. The Trojans maintained control throughout the set, using an efficient offensive performance to secure a 25-17 victory.
DSU registered 18 kills and just three attack errors in 44 attempts for a .341 hitting percentage in the opening frame. MSU-Northern was limited to a .163 hitting percentage with 11 kills and four errors in 43 swings.
The Trojans carried their momentum into the second set, building an 18-12 advantage and later leading 21-16. The Skylights, however, staged a late comeback, scoring eight consecutive points to take a 24-21 lead. MSU-Northern completed the rally with a 25-22 victory, evening the match at one set apiece.
Dakota State responded in the third set with a 25-15 victory to regain a 2-1 match advantage, thanks to their 17-7 closing run. The Trojans produced 15 kills and hit .273 in the frame, while holding the Skylights to a .091 hitting percentage.
MSU-Northern refused to go away, claiming the fourth set 25-22 to force a decisive fifth set. The Skylights registered 17 kills and a .246 hitting percentage in the fourth frame.
In the deciding fifth set, Dakota State delivered 12 kills to edge MSU-Northern 15-13 and secure the conference victory.
The Trojans trailed 11-9 late in the fifth set before rallying to tie the score at 12-12. After MSU-Northern regained a 13-11 advantage, Dakota State scored the final four points of the match.
Lauryn Kloth and
Annika Cantrell combined for a block to tie the score at 13-13, followed by a kill from Kloth to give the Trojans match point.
Sapp delivered the match-winning kill, assisted by
Emily Nelson, to complete the 15-13 victory.
Inside the box score
Sapp led the Trojans with a career-high 24 kills, hitting .362 on 58 attempts.
Tristyn Maras followed with 15 kills, six digs and a block assist. Kloth recorded 10 kills, one solo block and five block assists, while M. Wathen finished with 10 kills, eight digs, one solo block and one block assist.
Cantrell contributed nine kills on a .269 hitting percentage and four block assists.
Raya Van Beek added six kills.
Emily Nelson directed the Trojan offense with 28 assists and 16 digs producing a double-double for DSU.Â
Gabi Borresen added 27 assists and 12 digs for another double-double. K. VanRooyan led Dakota State's defense with 20 digs and 11 assists (double-double).
Sydney Wathen recorded 17 digs and a service ace, while
Reagan VanRooyan collected 11 digs and an ace for the Trojans. Sapp added nine digs to round out the Trojans' defensive efforts.
Caleigh Case led the Skylights with 16 kills on an impressive .522 hitting percentage, committing just four errors in 23 attempts. She also recorded two solo blocks and two block assists.
Macy Uffelman and Josie Hasler each contributed 14 kills. Uffelman added 22 digs and two block assists, while Hasler finished with 17 digs and a .217 hitting percentage.
Kendall Scheffelmear tallied 10 kills on a .310 hitting percentage and two block assists for MSU-Northern. Addison Falls Down and Cadee Bilden each added four kills.
Falls Down led MSU-Northern with 26 assists and 18 digs, while Emily Bird registered 23 assists and 19 digs. Kambria Maloy collected a match-high 25 digs and seven assists.
The Trojans recorded a season-high 77 kills and a .216 hitting percentage, compared to MSU-Northern's 62 kills and .181 hitting percentage. Dakota State also held a 9-6 advantage in team blocks.
Dakota State finished with 15 more kills than MSU-Northern and recorded 66 assists in the five-set victory. The Skylights held a narrow 113-109 advantage in digs.
Up next
Dakota State closes out their regular-season schedule with a pair of Frontier Conference matches on the road. The Trojans visit Mayville State (N.D.) Wednesday evening at Lewy Lee Fieldhouse, starting with a junior varsity match at 4 p.m. and varsity match to follow at 6 p.m.
